Bradley Smoked Wild Alaskan Salmon

[Kummok]

Love the pics of your results, Century....great to see how much fun and good eatin' that you're having with your smoker!

[winestein]

Got my first batch brining right now.  First lesson learned about Kummoks brine recipe...it makes a lot!  I had 3 lbs of Silver and I only needed about half at most.

[Quarlow]

Very nice Winestein. You are going to love it.

[AkHomeBuilt]

Just finished reading through this whole thread and decided i'll have to give Kummoks recipe a shot. I was using a basic brine and it worked out great last year but for some reason the batch I did last week didn't turn out so great. I've got 30 Copper River red filets in the big freezer that I am pulling out tomorrow to thaw and I was wondering if this would be a good time to pull those bones out? My smoker isn't electric but is propane heated but I think I can control the temps close enough to what is recommended in this thread.

One thing about the salmon sticking to the racks, I think it's the sugar in the brine that is causing it to stick because I used a good amount of Pam on my racks when I smoked my salmon last week and they still stuck pretty good. I don't see a way to eliminate this without eliminating the sugar (won't do that!). Anyhow, this is an awesome thread and I can't wait to try this recipe. Headed back down to the Copper River for another 25 more reds next week!

[Kummok]

Missed the Copper River trip this year, AKHomeBuilt  :'(  Glad to see that you're making up for my loss!  ;) ;)  You're right about the sugar "glue" on the racks of course....next time you're in ANC, go to AK Butcher Supply (have someone cover you...it's in Mountain View!!  :o ) and get some frogmat...or better yet, save the trip and order from Bryan at http://www.yardandpool.com/High-Temperature-Jerky-Drying-Screen-p/hitempjrky.htm and just shake your fish off next time!!

[AkHomeBuilt]

I've got my 44 for when I travel down Mtn View..........lol

What's the secret to getting those danged bones out before you smoke your fish Kummok?

[Kummok]

If you're talking about the pin bones, I use a small pair of curved needle nose pliers. I also let the slabs stay in the reefer for 2-3 days, wrapped in paper towels, so the bones stiffen a bit. A little extra work but really worth it

[dubob]

One thing about the salmon sticking to the racks, I think it's the sugar in the brine that is causing it to stick because I used a good amount of Pam on my racks when I smoked my salmon last week and they still stuck pretty good. I don't see a way to eliminate this without eliminating the sugar (won't do that!).

Here's another product that works also.

http://www.smokehouseproducts.com/prod_detail.cfm?ProductNo=9749-016-0000&CategoryID=33&SizeID=0

Pros:  $25.99 for five 10" X 16" sheets (Smokehouse) vs. $7.99 for one 10" X 13" sheet (Frogmat)

Cons: 250^o F (Smokehouse) vs. 550^o F (Frogmat)

I bought mine at Sportsman's Warehouse about 6 years ago.  They work very well with jerky and fish.  A quick check on-line shows them available through several outlets.

[AkHomeBuilt]

Got all my red filets smoked up this weekend and man are they good! I omitted the garlic and cayenne and also added a bit more water, a little less teriyaki and they came out fantastic. Probably the best salmon I have made to date. I bought 2  9 gallon Rubbermaid containers, put my brine in them then added the filets. I filled 2 1 gallon ziplock bags with ice and put them over the top of the brine/filets which acted as a weight to hold the filets down in the brine so they would be completely submerged. Then I put each Rubbermaid container inside a cooler and filled them with ice. It worked out great and my filets stayed nice a cold inside my garage.

I also found a cure for removing the salmon from the grates without them sticking. I sprayed the grates heavily with some Pam and pulled them off as soon as they were done and it worked like a charm. Wish I had some pics but I was too busy to take any.

[Kummok]

Love to hear about all your use of ice...you DO know how to care for salmon, AKHomeBuilt!! :)

BTW, what did you build at home in Alaska?

[AkHomeBuilt]

I built my smoker which resides in my backyard. Installed a Bradley Smoke Generator in it last week and it uses propane for heat. I also installed 2 temps probes on the left side, one just above the first rack and the other above the top rack. Drilled 2 vent holes on the upper backside and I use outlet covers to adjust airflow but it does need a few more along the sides. I've got quite a few compliments on it and have to say she does look pretty good for my first one. These pics are before I added the smoke generator.

[Kummok]

Great looking smoker! Glad I asked...and even more glad that you responded....w/ pics, no less!! Good size smoker and just in time for the great Red return we had this year and moose opener just around the corner

[AkHomeBuilt]

Thanks Kummok, appreciate the comments. Got back Wednesday night after dipping the Copper for most of the day, got another 25 reds to finish off my limit plus a 10 fish supplemental. Looks like i'll be smoking some more this weekend. Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself (dipping the Copper) but seeing the end result makes it all worth it.

[Kummok]

Dipping the canyon is an experience that everyone (who is physically capable!) should do...very rewarding terror!! Actually not that terrifying but all that separates you from sheer terror and probable death is one little slip of the shoes... :o

[AkHomeBuilt]

No doubt, especially when the water level is up, it can be downright scarey! Right now the river is almost 5 feet lower than it was 3 weeks ago, I actually had trouble finding a good place to dip but once I did, it was game on! Your recipe is a darn good starting place for a brine, everyone loves the batch I just finished last weekend, now I have to do some more. I'm going to smoke 18 more reds and will done for the year. I might try and make some jerky from a dall ram if I manage to get my sights on one in a couple of weeks.